*Images with asterisks* and text below in italics from The Official Transformers web site:Before the war, FALLBACK scouted newly discovered worlds to determine if they were suitable for colonization. Now his duty is to assess a world's environmental health and recommend ways in which the AUTOBOTS®* can protect it while also using natural resources to their advantage.

DECEPTICONS beware, because this FALLBACK Tech Specialist figure is armed and ready to take them on! In robot mode, your FALLBACK figure's quagma wave blaster keeps his DECEPTICON enemies at bay. Convert him to technical truck mode when he has a major need for speed! Keep converting him back and forth as the battle rages on! Quagma wave blaster included! This powerful robot-to-vehicle warrior figure's quagma wave blaster snaps onto the roof in technical truck mode! Convert him from robot mode to technical truck mode and back.

Includes figure and accessory. Series 2 013 FALLBACK Tech Specialist

Through an unexpected series of events, the name "Fallback" has become one of the ones that makes my ears perk up in any "Transformers" toy line. Way back during the planning stages of Botcon 2005, one of the figures we came up with was a redeco of Energon Strongarm as the G1 character "Outback". However, we couldn't use the name "Outback" due to trademark reasons, so I wrote up a back story that explained Outback had gone through an identity change not unlike the one that made Bumblebee into "Goldbug". The name we chose was "Fallback", the implication being that when the chips were down, this was the guy you could "fall back" on.

Years later, when the "Reveal the Shield" line of toys were released, it too included a Fallback figure. Like the Botcon 2005 exclusive, this figure also served as a homage to the character from Generation One. In 2012, another Fallback has been released, this time as part of the "Cyberverse" line of "Transformers Prime" figures. This figure is a redeco of the Legion Class Breakdown figure, so check out that review for details on the sculpt. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.

Robot Mode:
Paying homage to G1 Outback, this sculpt has now been cast in a beige and grey plastic. These colors create a much different tone and feel to the figure. With its dark blue color, Breakdown looked ominous. In these brighter colors, the figure just feels a bit friendlier, though since there was no retooling the face is still a bit mean looking. In terms of paint deco, the designers really took their cues from previous iterations of this character. His primary paint color is a reddish brown, which is use don his torso and shoulder armor. His secondary color is silver, which is used to paint his face and the "spare tire" on his back. The last color on this figure is blue, used to paint the eyes. On the center of his chest is a tampographed Autobot symbol in red with a white outline. I prefer this particular type of Autobot symbol as it stands out really nicely against almost any color scheme.

At first glance, it's almost impossible not to notice the G1 Outback homage when you look at this figure. Of all the Transformers in the history of the line to use these basic colors, Outback (aka Fallback) is perhaps the most recognizable to G1 fans. Another nice touch is the pattern of these colors which roughly match his G1 counterpart. This includes his torso having the brown color and his face being painted silver. The blue eyes even match the more recent "Encore" release of G1 Outback. Overall, he looks fantastic.

Fallback's joints are all nice and tight. He comes with a translucent green version of Breakdown's weapon. This can fit in his hands or store away on the back of the figure. In a bit of cosmic coincidence, in this mode the weapon stores away on the wheel mounted on Fallback's back. In G1, Outback's weapon could also connect to the "spare tire" on his back!

Transformation to Vehicle Mode:

Detach weapons if attached.

Swing the robot chest down.

Connect the robot legs together, then swing them back.

Swing the robot arms forward and connect them at the shoulders, forming the front of the vehicle.

Swing the lower arms back to complete the vehicle.

Cyberverse weapons can be attached to the holes on the top of the vehicle.

Vehicle Mode:
In vehicle mode the beige color takes over as the primary color while the reddish brown takes a back seat, only peeking through on the back of the vehicle. Here we get a look at black paint detail on the windows and side view mirrors. The front grille and bumper on the truck are painted silver. Overall he looks perfect as a homage to G1 Outback.

Thanks to the functionality of having holes on the top of the vehicle to attach weapons, Fallback winds up duplicating another function of his G1 counterpart, the ability to mount his weapon on top of the vehicle mode. G1 Outback was the only "Mini-Bot" able to do this and to me it often set him apart from all the others and made him just a smidge cooler as a result!

Final Thoughts:
Fallback is a cool sculpt that I already liked. Unlike Breakdown, there's no expectation of him being a Commander Class figure here so it works out really nicely. Highly recommended!